There are various ingredients that should never be found inside the human body – and Vivien Veil is sorry to report that monosodium glutamate (and its 40 plus hidden names) is one of them.

By: Vivien Veil

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is one of the most poisonous ingredients ever created. Thus you can imagine my surprise when I spotted MSG in one of my ‘favourite’ foods – a vegan cheese that’s ironically sold in health stores. This lethal flavour enhancer is not only in restaurants, fast food joints, and every grocery store in the world, but it’s already on the shelves of popular health shops like Planet Organic, Holland & Barrett, and Whole Foods.

Why is MSG so dangerous?

Scientific research shows monosodium glutamate damages the brain and produces severe brain degeneration – not to mention it’s been linked to cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and many other neurological disorders. Monosodium glutamate, an excitotoxin, causes brain cells to fire so rapidly that the cell becomes so exhausted that it dies an hour or so after eating it!

Is it really worth eating Pringles, Doritos, Campbell’s Soups, Nando’s sauces and Violife vegan cheese if studies show that it can permanently kill your brain cells? The reason why people can’t give up their precious MSG-laden foods is because MSG stimulates certain cells in the brain and tongue – causing cravings and even addiction.

And the list goes on and on. And believe it or not, there are even some vaccines that contain monosodium glutamate. Now either the makers of those brands are ignorant to the dangers of MSG, or their moral and ethical judgments have been clouded by riches, power, evil, and success.

In 1957, two ophthalmologists named Lucas and Newhouse fed monosodium glutamate to mice, and they found that the MSG totally destroyed all of the nerve cells in the retina of the eye. Yet today, we have scientists like Steve Witherly and Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal claiming MSG is good for you. Studies show MSG kills eye cells and harms critical parts of the brain in mice. Plus, animals fed MSG are grossly obese. The flavour enhancer alters the part of the brain that has to do with obesity, and even human studies prove the link between obesity and monosodium glutamate.

According to retired neurosurgeon, Dr Russell Blaylock, MSG also has a negative effect on intellectual development, especially in the first four years of life. “A scientist took animals that were pregnant and exposed them to MSG. Then, she tested the offspring and found that they initially looked perfectly normal, and when they did simple tests for intellectual function, they’d pass with flying colors. However, when they tested the offspring with more complex problem solving, the animals were severely impaired,” said Blaylock.

I can only imagine the effects on humans. How many of us grew up knowing our ABC’s and other basic educational tasks, yet had trouble in algebra, physics, calculus, or anything to do with intense cognitive functioning?

“The scientist then measured the neurotransmitters in the brain in those offspring to see what happened and found that there was an 80% reduction of a transmitter called acetyl choline in the frontal lobes of the offspring’s brain. Acetyl choline is absolutely vital for learning and memory. There was also a reduction in the neurotransmitter norephinphrine,” declared Blaylock. Norepinephrine is one of the neurotransmitters involved in ADHD, and it plays an essential role in paying attention, concentration, and thinking clearly.

Furthermore, scientists found mice were intellectually impaired after being fed MSG for a month, but for some reason, the food industry either doesn’t care or they’ve succumbed to the lie that “there’s not one scientific paper that proves MSG is dangerous. It’s just a silly conspiracy.”

Just read what British chef Heston Blumenthal thinks about MSG:

“The biggest old wives tale is that MSG is bad for you. That is complete and utter nonsense!”

People like Steve Witherly, Heston Blumenthal, the FDA, and the food industry must think you and I are a bunch of idiots. Sadly, those who fall into the “MSG is safe” category are severely deceived.

My encounter with MSG deception

I’m a huge fan of health shops like Planet Organic and Whole Foods. And no, I’m not a hippy. I’m just a well-educated journalist, nutritionist, and researcher who personally understands the benefits of eating healthy food. I grew up eating the standard American diet and know what it feels like to be sick, depressed and tired. As there’s a lack of variety in the healthy food section at most grocery stores, I sometimes visit my local health shops if I ever want to buy toxic-free beauty products, healthy desserts, or if I want to have a 100% organic meal.

I spotted Violife vegan cheese while hunting for sandwich ingredients at Planet Organic (I eat vegan cheese as “real” cheese gives me acne). I quickly scanned the label and thought everything was okay. I naively thought that this cheese sold at a “trusted” health shop would never contain any MSG, especially when its package innocently states: Free from dairy, soya, gluten, lactose, nuts, and preservatives. I happily shared it with my family, and boy did they love it! We were all hooked!

I remembered my “beloved” Violife vegan cheese after seeing a lecture by Dr Russell Blaylock on the dangers of MSG. After the lecture, I quickly grabbed the cheese from my fridge and saw – FLAVOURINGS. I learned that “flavourings” is just another hidden name for MSG, so I emailed Violife. Afterwards, I scoured their website and found two questions relating to MSG in their FAQ section (see the image below).

Violife replied two days later, but their reply to me was slightly different from the text on their website (see the image above).

They told me in an email, “Our flavourings contain no added MSG. It is our policy.”

The “no added MSG” raises a red flag. Companies may allege that there’s “no added MSG” – but don’t be fooled by their tricks and tomfoolery. Companies have discovered a new way to hookwink trusting individuals with the statement:

“No added MSG” or “No MSG added”

Saying “No added MSG” or “No MSG added” means the company can order ingredients or spices that already contain MSG, and then utilise it in their own food. As long as they don’t physically add monosodium glutamate to their food, they can shrewdly claim there’s “no added MSG.”

This dishonest ploy tricks people into believing there’s actually no MSG in the product – thus allowing the unsuspecting customer to tuck into the company’s food guilt-free.

I immediately wrote them back asking if the flavourings in their cheese contains any MSG. I have yet to hear back from them. *crickets chirping*

Violife also told me, “MSG occurs naturally in nature so products such as our Violife Tomato & Basil does contain some naturally occurring MSG from the tomato we add.”

Similarly, the food industry tries to mislead people by saying that “MSG occurs naturally in nature, like in tomatoes.” Even the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that monosodium glutamate is natural, so it’s no surprise people are perplexed with all of this “MSG is natural” debacle.

The average person will hear that and say, “God created monosodium glutamate because it’s in tomatoes. These health nuts who keep telling me MSG is bad news are just spreading FAKE NEWS! Now let me enjoy my Doritos in peace.”

That’s how the food industry twists the truth. According to Dr Blaylock, precise amounts of natural glutamate are needed in the brain. If there’s too little or too much glutamate, it’ll ruin the connections and pathways in the brain. The monosodium glutamate created in 1908 by Japanese professor, Kikunae Ikeda, is different from the natural glutamate found in green peas, mushrooms, olives, and tomatoes. This misinformation is causing so much confusion in the online world. There are as many websites defending MSG as there are websites attacking MSG.

The coca plant that’s primarily grown in Colombia is natural, so does that mean cocaine is safe and good for us? The opium poppy flower that’s primarily grown in Afghanistan is natural, so does that mean heroin is safe and good for us? The nicotiana tabacum plant is natural, so does that mean smoking or chewing tobacco is safe and good for us? I’ll stop now as I’m sure you got the picture.

I hope Violife explains what “flavourings” is exactly and that they genuinely demonstrate through tests for “free glutamic acid content” that there is absolutely ZERO free glutamic acid (monosodium glutamate) in their products – especially if they want to keep people like me as clients. However, I won’t be buying their products anymore unless they can provide concrete evidence that their products DO NOT contain any MSG whatsoever.

There are hundreds of companies like Violife, so please check the labels of your favourite foods, especially if you’re at a health store. One thing is for unhealthy companies like Pizza Hut, KFC, Chick-fil-A, and Knorr to contain MSG in their products. I mean, it’s common sense they are going to have rubbish ingredients in their food. While we must still warn others about those companies, we must painstakingly expose companies like Violife who are stealthily “poisoning” health-conscious people – people who actually go out of their way to avoid excitotoxins like MSG.

Even if you believe MSG is safe, I implore you to thoroughly research the risks of consuming monosodium glutamate – especially if you are pregnant or have children of your own. The baby in your womb and your children are pure and innocent – they don’t know anything about excitotoxins like monosodium glutamate. Why jeopardise the health of these innocent beings – all because you blindly trust what the authorities tell you? Why allow the corrupt food industry to use your children as guinea pigs? Feeding your children MSG will permamently affect their health and brain function as countless studies already show.

We all know what happens when we blindly believe the government and mainstream media, particularly when one day they claim MSG is dangerous and then, later on, they claim MSG is safe.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Please share it with your friends, family, relatives, strangers, and enemies. I’d love to hear any experiences that you may have had with this deadly ingredient, so please either leave me a comment below or send me a message to my email address – vivienveil@gmail.com

“We’re seeing a society that not only has a lot more people of lower IQ, but a lot fewer people of higher IQ. In other words, a chemical dumbing down of society — so everyone is sort of mediocre. That leaves them dependent on government because they can’t excel. We have these people with lower IQ that are totally dependent. Then we have this mass of people who are going to believe everything they’re told because they can’t really think clearly.

And very few people of a very high IQ who have good cognitive function who can figure this all out. And that’s what they want. So you can kind of piece it together as to why they are so insistent in spending hundreds of millions of dollars of propaganda money to dumb down society.”

– Dr Russell Blaylock on what excitotoxins like MSG are doing to the population and why our leaders won’t put an end to it.

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This hearty bowl of pumpkin soup is the perfect autumn recipe. You can make big batches and keep it in your fridge to enjoy throughout the week.

Vivien shares one of her autumn secrets to getting the healthiest glow – starting from the inside out with her delicious pumpkin soup.

By: Vivien Veil

The UK throws away 18,000 tonnes of pumpkin flesh after carving out lanterns, but those people are missing a trick. Pumpkins make perfect winter warming dishes – starting with this rich and vibrant soup. So instead of binning your scooped-out pumpkin goodness, grab your apron and prepare to be amazed at how appetising this seasonal superfood tastes.

As some of you know, I absolutely love soups. They’re my favourite, especially as the nights draw in and the weather gets colder. Nothing beats a comforting bowl of warm soup, particularly when it involves winter vegetables like pumpkin. Besides being so filling, you can use this winter squash in so many dishes. You can eat it in every form – roasted stuffed with quinoa, mashed like potatoes as a divine side dish, and in baked bread – so naturally it only seems perfect that you can use it as a soup, too!

I’ve always been a soup person – thanks to my beautiful mother. She’s the queen of making delicious and hearty soups. I prefer thicker soups as they’re more filling and satisfying. That’s why I love this pumpkin soup. The combination of roasted thyme pumpkin with spicy jalapeño pepper really does taste heavenly.

Pumpkins are robust vegetables making the soup perfectly rich and creamy – despite me not using any dairy! This vegetable is incredibly generous in key antioxidants and vitamins. This humble squash is a storehouse of vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C. Not to mention the many other energy-giving B vitamins – this soup really is the perfect winter flu fighter!

I also love adding a handful or two of toasted pumpkin seeds on top of my soup. Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of plant protein, fibre, mono-unsaturated fatty acids, zinc, and tryptophan.

The rule of thumb with pumpkins and squash is the smaller ones contain more flavour than the larger ones, which tend to be a little tasteless. You can serve the soup in small hollowed out pumpkins for a beautiful presentation to impress your friends and family. Children get a kick eating out of them!

The Perfect Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

2 medium pumpkins

3-4 garlic cloves

Coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil

2 red onions, finely chopped

1 litre of vegetable stock

2-3 sticks of fresh thyme

1/2 large jalapeño, chopped

1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar or balsamic vingear (sulfite-free)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Roasted pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on top

1/4-cup coconut milk [optional]

Method

Cut the top of the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin in half to remove the seeds. Scoop out the seeds and place them in a bowl.

Cut up the pumpkin into small chunks and place them in a large bowl. Warm up your coconut oil in a saucepan until it’s melted (no need to do this step if using olive oil). Pour over the small pumpkin chunks in the large bowl, and mix well.

Place the chunks on a baking tray with the unpeeled garlic cloves and a few sticks of thyme.

Splash some apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar onto the chunks of pumpkin. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Pop the baking tray into the oven at 190°C/375°F for about 25 minutes, until soft and caramelised. Leave to cool a bit, so that you can peel off the garlic skins with your hands.

Next, get the pumpkin seeds. Rinse them under cold water in a sieve. Then place in a bowl and remove the pulp with your hands. Get a saucepan and boil some water. Add 2 tsp of sea salt and boil over low medium heat for about 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Place the pumpkin seeds on another baking tray and massage them with coconut oil (warm it in a saucepan if unmelted) or olive oil. Season with sea salt, black pepper, and anything else you desire. I like adding coriander spice and cumin. Place the seeds in the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove and shake a bit, before putting them back into the oven for a further 5 minutes, so that the seeds are a gold colour.

Heat 2 tbsp of coconut oil or olive oil in a deep pan and sauté the red onions until they’re softened. Add in the vegetable stock, roasted pumpkin chunks, and peeled garlic. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or so.

Next, finely chop the jalapeño, removing the seeds if you don’t want it too hot. Place to the side.

Now blend everything up – including the jalapéno in a blender or food processor – in small batches of course.

[Optional] Warm up the coconut milk in a saucepan on low heat. Put to the side.

Serve with swirls of coconut milk on top along with the roasted pumpkin seeds and fresh thyme leaves. The soup is awesome for storing in large batches in the freezer.

Bon Appétit!

I hope you try this remarkable soup recipe, and please let me know if it met your expectations.

Of all the culinary national days and weeks of the year, this is the finest! Well, at least for the humble chocoholic. An enchanting seven days for those chocolate addicts, the week is organised in a bid to celebrate one of the country’s favourite super sweets.

Whether you enjoy curling up in front of a fireplace with your favourite chocolate dessert, or you have a chocolate bar whenever your sweet tooth strikes, the chances are you regularly spoil yourself.

Chocolate is the ultimate comfort food, especially during times of stress or when times are rough. However, instead of indulging yourself with the common “bad” chocolate snack you find at your local grocery store, why not try healthier chocolate like dark chocolate (70% or more).

Dark chocolate has less sugar and is packed with beneficial minerals, such as potassium, zinc, selenium, iron, and magnesium. I bet you didn’t know chocolate cravings are a sign of magnesium deficiency. So, if you’re fantasising about chocolate regularly, your body is most likely telling you to feed it magnesium-rich foods. “I’m not magnesium deficient, Vivien, I just absolutely LOVE chocolate,” says Bob. Well, Bob, did you know up to 80% of Americans are not getting enough magnesium and that it’s maybe because they’re deficient?

Anyway, enough about that. Now it’s time for me to introduce to you a tasty treat that will have you throwing your Snickers bar in the bin.

Try this guilt-free chocolate recipe for one of your chocolate celebration days this week. Best of all, you won’t eating nasty ingredients and you’ll be satisfying your sweet tooth in one go.

Bon Appétit!

“Piece of Cake” Chocolate Mousse

This dessert is quick to make and guess what? There’s no baking, and it tastes divine!

Serves 5-6

2 ripe avocados, stones removed

5 ripe bananas (with lots of black spots), peeled

15 Medjool dates, pitted

5 tablespoons of almond butter

6 teaspoons of raw cacao powder

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Drizzle of maple syrup or honey

Any nut of your choice, chopped for garnishing

Place the avocado flesh into your food processor. Then, add all of the ingredients above to the food processor and blend into a smooth mixture.

Divide the mixture and place in small glasses or ramekins. Sprinkle some chopped nuts of your choice, and you’re ready to enjoy a healthy delicious treat. Place in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.